1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved graphical user interface apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved graphical user interface apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A graphical user interface is a type of display format which enables a user to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files and other options by pointing to pictorial representations and lists of menu items on a computer display screen. Choices can generally be activated by either a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. A mouse is a commonly utilized pointing device, containing one or more buttons, that allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment such as a graphical user interface.
Some conventional graphical user interfaces provide a cursor and scroll bar for scrolling through portions of a viewable object. A viewable object can contain multiple components such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sound, and video object. However, a viewable object is not limited to these components. In many types of graphical user interfaces, a vertical or horizontal bar at the side of bottom of a graphical user interface window can be utilized in conjunction with a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus to move about in a viewable object. Scrolling permits viewing of any desired portion of a viewable object and is so named because it is the electronic equivalent of reading through a rolled (i.e., scrolled) viewable object rather than flipping through pages of a book. A vertical scroll bar is usually utilized to control up and down movement (e.g., through lines and pages of a viewable object), while a horizontal scroll bar controls movement across a viewable object.
Conventional scroll bar systems commonly include two arrows and a slider. Each arrow controls which direction a user desires to scroll through a viewable object. An arrow conventionally controls movement through a viewable object in small increments or small blocks of information, such as individual lines or a page of a viewable object, for example. Moreover, if an arrow points in the upward direction, the viewable object can be scrolled from its present position toward the first page of the viewable object. If an arrow points in the downward position, the viewable object can be scrolled from its present position toward the last page of the viewable object.
A slider is typically utilized to control movement through a viewable object in larger increments than when the arrows are utilized. Instead of incrementing by small blocks of information, the slider typically controls movement through a viewable object in larger blocks, increments, or groups of information, such as two or more pages, for example. Therefore, when a user desires to go from the first page to the fiftieth page, the slider is usually selected and moved until page fifty is selected. The term "elevator" is particularly used sometimes to describe a slider that operates on a vertical scroll bar. The term "puck" is also used to describe a slider that operates on the horizontal scroll bar.
When a very large viewable object, such as a large list of items, is accessed by a user via a graphical user interface, the scroll bar slider often represents only a very small portion of the viewable object. When the slider is grabbed and moved by the user utilizing a pointing device such as a mouse, the viewable object scrolls too quickly, even for small movements of the slider, making it difficult for the user to locate a desired section of the viewable object. Even expert mouse users, for instance, can become frustrated when attempting to utilize today's sliders on large viewable objects. The problem is even more acute for less-adept users.
An additional problem faced by users attempting to access large viewable objects in this manner is the difficulty encountered when utilizing markers positioned within the scroll bar. As their name suggests, markers are positioned within the scroll bar to identify a particular location. When a user utilizes a pointing device at one of these markers, the viewable object shifts to a particular region within the viewable object associated with the marker. Such markers, however, do present problems. For example, in a large viewable object, these markers are often positioned so close to one another, that a user may not realize that there are, in fact, multiple markers available. Also, if these markers are proportional to the size of the region, they can be too small to provide any useful information to the user.
Current solutions to the problems associated accessing large viewable objects typically provide an index bar from which the user may select an area of the viewable object to search. However, such solutions do not provide fluid scanning of the viewable object. An index bar, for example, merely allows a user to jump to a particular region of the viewable object without reference to a previous region. Index bars do not allow a user to scroll to a desired region of a viewable object and thereafter focus a search at multiple levels within the desired region.
With respect to the foregoing needs, the inventors are aware of no attempts to date which have been directed toward satisfying the foregoing identified needs. A need also exists for an apparatus and method that allows a user to tailor a search toward particular region of the viewable object, while providing for fluid scanning of the viewable object. Thus, it is apparent that a need exists for an apparatus and method that provides access to a particular region of a viewable object.